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Humanities New Academics Programme
EnquiryEnquiry --Based Learning (EBL)Based Learning (EBL)
Julia McMorrowJulia McMorrowEBL Fellow
Geography, School of Environment and Development
The University of Manchester
Frank ManistaFrank ManistaLearning Development Officer,
Centre for Excellence in Enquiry-Based Learning (CEEBL)
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Aims• To understand and experience Enquiry-Based
Learning (EBL)• To see first-hand some examples of current EBL-
focused courses and projects• To become familiar with some techniques for
facilitating EBL with small groups• To discuss practical concerns about using EBL and
facilitation in your own small group classes.• To gain some insight into students’ perspectives of
EBL• To learn what CEEBL is doing to promote EBL.
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Overview of EBL:the what, why and how
Frank Manista
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22ndnd year MBS, Organisationsyear MBS, OrganisationsManagement and Technology EBL projectManagement and Technology EBL project
• Students select a technology management scenario and formulate their own research topic
• ‘Boundaries’ of process (e.g. seminars, team work) and final report spelt out up-front and supported with documents and Blackboard links
• Students examine the resources they need to research the topic and acquire knowledge
• Learning is student centred, with an emphasis on group work, time management and organisation
• ‘Keep it real’ report underpinned by theories and tools covered in lectures and informed by student research
• Report assessed by group, but individual marks weighted by contribution (determined by students)
An example of EBL…
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You are a technology management team advising the Board of Directors on the technology strategy of the firm. You have been asked to produce a report on the following issues:
– The drivers for change in the industry;
– The role of technology in responding to change;
– The opportunities and challenges of adopting/developing a specific technology.
It should draw recommendations (supported by an appropriate theoretical framework) for the firm about whether or not to invest in a specific technology.
The scenario (trigger) The scenario (trigger) 22ndnd year MBS, Organisations Management and year MBS, Organisations Management and
TechnologyTechnology
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EnquiryEnquiry --Based Learning isBased Learning is ……• Not new• Learning driven by a process of enquiry: research-led
learning• Active not passive. Student-centred• Recognises the learning process as well the end product;
‘Learning how to learn’• A supported process tutor as facilitator
• Grounded in your discipline • Learning through realistic
problems / scenarios/ tasks• Reflective – What have I
learnt? How did I learn it? What would I do differently next time?
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Shift in tutorsShift in tutors’’ rolerole
Degree and style of facilitation– how directive, proactive, responsive?– personal teaching style & comfort zone– students’ experience
• “Filling the pot”• Authority• Safety of a ‘script’• Feeling of greater control
over outcome, grades, etc.
• “Lighting the fire”• …and controlling the
blaze? devolving authority, building trust
• Active mode, thinking on your feet
‘Sage on the stage’
Facilitatorcontinuum
Tutor-centred Student-centred
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• Deeper learning; higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive educational objectives
Why use EBL?Why use EBL?
Recalling facts
Explaining concepts
Applying concepts
Making sense of the results
Pulling together several analyses
Judging the outcome
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation
Analysis
• Greater responsibility for own learning; student-centred • Improved motivation, especially when real-life examples• Improved confidence; ‘authentic mastery’, self efficacy• Social interaction, teamwork• Skills development; employability, learning to be researchers
Depth of learning
Bloom, B.S. (ed.) (1956) Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Educational Goals: Handbook I, Cognitive Domain. New York: Toronto: Longmans
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• Student-centred learning
• Tutors facilitate
Define the problem
Identify what’s already known
Allocate tasks to fill gaps
Do individual or joint research
Collate
research
Apply what’s been learnt
REFLECT
FINAL PRESENTATION
/SOLUTIONTOPIC
EBL process & skills; the how and whyEBL process & skills; the how and whyOrganisational, leadership
Analytical, critical, applying existing knowledge
Communication, negotiation, organisation
Research, time management
Team working, verbal, negotiation, critical
Problem solving, verbal, communication
http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/ceebl/resources/general/guide_to_fac_v1_bookletlayout.pdf
REFLECT
TRIGGER
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EBL triggersEBL triggers• Scenario,
• Role play
• Text: – quote, press cutting,
academic paper, book
• Graphics: – photo, cartoon, graph
• Data
• Artefact
• Others…
‘Biofuels or Biodiversity?’
Chinese shoe
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Student perspective & interns’ role
Purity Oby Ikezogwo,
CEEBL Student Intern
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What students think of EBLWhat students think of EBL
I felt that I was at university rather than at school [UG IDTP]
You had to plan and so you learnt so much….it was work you
WANTED to do because YOU CHOSE to do it [UG IDTP]
This has been a very demanding course in terms of how challenging
the work has been…. [PG IDTP]
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Learning independently and presenting what you’ve learnt is very exciting, although can be nerve-racking [French TBL]
I found this very frustrating but have
come away with some positive things [French TBL]
We didn’t have any teaching. We had
to learn it ourselves! [Comp Sci]
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EBL in the Faculty:Overview
Julia McMorrow
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WhatWhat ’’s in a name: s in a name: ‘‘EBLEBL ’’??
Some Humanities examples of team EBL
projects
Project-centred learning (PCL)
Small-scale empirical
Investigations
Problem-basedLearning (PBL) ‘messy, wicked’
problem
EBL, IBL
Task-basedLearning (TBL) ‘crisp’ problem
A profile of A.N. Other researcher
1st yr Geographers learn about the
research process byinterviewing a tutor and writing group
report
Research-basedapproach to projects
Client-based Green City project s3st yr Planners, Engineers, etc. work with Manchester City Council on sustainable development projects. Disciplines compare process & product
Improving business colleagues’ French1st yr French uncover pronunciation/ grammar rules by devising exercises for colleagues in an export company
Discovering answer to a scenario
chosen to cover specific content/skills
Devising solutions to a scenario
chosen to cover specific content/skills
Technology strategy advisors 2nd Yr Organisations Management and Technology MBS advise a Board of Directors on the technology strategy of a firm
Fieldwork or case study
Phonetics fieldwork1st yr Linguistics learn how to elicit, transcribe and analyse words in live interviews with native-speaker participant informants
Enquiry, Inquiry
Radio script, press release, poetry booklet3rd Yr English American Studies
Virtual museum catalogueManchester Access ProgrammeInvitation to tenderYr 3, Environmental consultancy scenario, SED
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Invitation To TenderInvitation To TenderEarth Observation (Geog), year 3 team projectEarth Observation (Geog), year 3 team project
Scenario: ‘Assessing the extent and severity of erosion of upland organic soils in Scotland by remote sensi ngThe Scottish Executive wish to assess the area of active peat erosion in Scotland (approx. 78.000km2) to an accuracy of +/-1% by area. They would like to use remote sensing but are aware that other spatial data may also be needed.’
Week 1. Set-up meetingWeek 2. Q&A session with clientWeek 3. Team submit executive summary. Give presentationWeek 4. Plenary; compare responses & process
Write reflective report for line manager to assess process. Content assessable in exam.‘Scenario within a scenario’, ITT as an exercise in mock graduate training programme.
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ee--EBL, UG Interdisciplinary Team ProjectEBL, UG Interdisciplinary Team Project
Week 1: Icebreaker– Introduction to course, teams and WebCT
Week 2: Topic statement; students selected topicsWeek 3: Key problems and questionsWeek 4: StoryboardWeek 5: Symposium
– Posters with oral presentations
Week 6: Question Time and Plenary– Cross-discipline briefing– Peer and faciltator assessed
• Scaffolded process; WebCT posting required for each stage, Worked ‘AIDS’ example for each.
• VLE for all documents, poster archive, etc. Discussion Board for group interaction & feedback
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PracticalitiesPracticalities :: fit with the curriculumfit with the curriculum
• Hybrid syllabus: EBL, lectures, practicals, etc.
• Starting small
• EBL replaces other formats
• Curriculum overhaul
Complements Replacescontinuum
• Catering for different learning styles
• Balancing prescribed, subject-specific content withprocess & transferable skills
Lectures?Content?Structure?
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Practicalities: How much structure?Practicalities: How much structure?
Scaffolded Free-style
Students as partners in curriculumdesign
• Students select topic and trigger
• Minimal guidance on milestones
• Self -regulating
Tutor-led design
• Tutor selects topic and trigger
• Provides worked examples of milestones
• Sets deadlines
Common elements
• Clear guidance on LO and assessment
• Preparation for EBL and team-working
• Monitoring progress
• Incorporating feedback
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EBL in the Faculty: Examples from French
Annie Morton, Catherine Franc
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French French ‘‘EBL for EBLEBL for EBL ’’ phonetics scenariophonetics scenario
‘You work for an export company. You have noticed that even if your colleagues somehow master the French language, they are still making the type of pronunciation mistakes which stop them being fully understood by their French speaking customers who do not speak English.
Your boss has asked you to help them improve their pronunciation. You have noticed that they particularly mispronounce the following groups of letters: ‘qu’, ‘gn’,‘gu’.
Give a short presentation to explain the pronunciation of these letters and their phonetic transcriptions.
Provide a series of exercises to help your colleagues recognise and work on these letters.’
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Applying Applying EBLEBL to your own practice; to your own practice; workshop activityworkshop activity
AimsContent-related:• To get a feel for different types EBL activity.• To plan how to apply it in your own discipline• To discuss practical issues raised and ways to tackle
themProcess-related:• To experience small group EBL work (and learn tips for
designing and implementing it)• To experience some facilitation techniques (pyramiding,
or think-pair-share, harnessing the negative)
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Goal:• 3 min feedback back, outlining one example of EBL and
how you could adapt or develop it for own teaching.• Discussion points on issues in implementing it
Process
1. [Preparation: research an example]
2. Share examples and choose one (25 mins);
3. Brainstorming (5 mins): What practical issues does it raise?
4. Harnessing the negative (10 mins): turn it round –how could these be overcome?
5. Feedback
6. Discussion (10 mins) on issues raised and strategies to overcome them.
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Applying EBL to your own practice; Applying EBL to your own practice; workshop activity workshop activity
Task: Sketch out an EBL task for students (any level or discipline). Identify the practical issues raised.
Learning objectives:• Apply some of the ideas presented• Consider further the issues raisedOutcomes requested:
Report back to group. Discussion of ideas, issues raised & experience of doing the exercise.
Time available: 15 minutes
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Reflection
What was learnt by doing the exercise?
• Content – about what EBL involves• Process, skills – about the experience of tacking
the task as a group
The learning process can be assessed by learning logs/blogs and reflective reports
Group contributions by peer evaluation
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PlenarySome common concerns,
response to questions
Frank Manista, Julia McMorrow
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Some issues raised by EBLSome issues raised by EBL
– Tensions with a ‘hybrid’ syllabus; content versus process
– Absence of familiar frameworks– Group dynamics
– Assessing group work– Physical spaces unsuitable
– Increased workload– Rigidity of process for PBL
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New funding possibilities from CEEBL
Adele Aubrey
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Conclusion
• ‘One thing I’ll try is…’– What one thing will you take away from today? – Jot down it on a Post-it note to take away as a
reminder.
• Evaluation form
Help us to improve the workshop
• CEEBL courses
• CEEBL website
www.manchester.ac.uk/ceebl
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Additional sources• Helling, B (1988) ‘Looking for good teaching: a guide to peer observation’
Journal of Staff, Program and Organisational Development Vol. 6, No. 4• Habeshaw, Habeshaw and Gibbs (1984) 53 Interesting Things to do in Your
Seminars and Tutorials, Technical & Educational Services Ltd.• University of Central Lancashire. Small groups,
http://www.uclan.ac.uk/ldu/resources/toolkit/sm_groups/index.htm• Biggs, J. (1995) ‘The Role of Meta-learning in Study Processes’. British
Journal of Educational Psychology, 55, 185-212. • Dimitrios Thanasoulas (2007) ‘What is Learner Autonomy and How Can It Be
Fostered?’ The Internet TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) Journal, http://iteslj.org/Articles/Thanasoulas-Autonomy.html
• Healey, D. (1999). ‘Theory and Research: Autonomy in Language Learning’. In J. Egbert & E. Hanson-Smith (Eds.), CALL Environments: Research, Practice, and Critical Issues (pp.291-402). Alexandria, VA: TESO
• Healey, M., Kneale, P, Bradbeer, J. (2005) ‘Learning styles among geography undergraduates: an international comparison’, Area, 37.1, 30–42.
• Healey M and Jenkins A 2000 Learning cycles and learning styles: the application of Kolb’s experiential learning model in higher education Journal of Geography 99 185–95
• Kolb D.A. (1984) Experiential learning: experience as a source of learning and development Prentice Hall, New York
• Kolb D A 1981 Learning styles and disciplinary differences in Chickering A W (ed) The modern American college, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.